Instant Observations: 76ers Defeat Suns in Saturday Matinee, Win Fourth Consecutive Game

The Philadelphia 76ers beat a shorthanded Phoenix Suns squad, 112-100, on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.

Joel Embiid finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. Tyrese Maxey finished with 22 points, five rebounds and 10 assists. Tobias Harris added 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with 10 rebounds.

Nic Batum (personal reasons) remained out for the Sixers. He has yet to make his debut with the team since coming over from the Los Angeles Clippers in the James Harden trade.

The Suns were led by Kevin Durant, who finished with 31 points and seven rebounds. The Sixers held them to just 36% shooting from the field and 25.7% shooting from 3-point range. Phoenix played without Bradley Beal (low back spasms), Devin Booker (left ankle sprain) and Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery).

The Sixers, on a four-game winning streak, currently sit at 4-1 on the season. Their next game is a home matchup with the Washington Wizards on Monday night. Here are some instant observations from the win:

– The first half against the Suns was one of the Sixers’ worst offensive performances of the season. Embiid and Maxey both struggled to get anything going offensively. The Sixers committed 12 turnovers in the opening half as they played some very undisciplined basketball. However, they still carried a seven-point lead into halftime due to the contributions of Oubre and Harris.

The pair of Oubre and Harris picked up the slack, combining to score 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting in the first half. Oubre, between his outside shooting and being an active off-ball cutter, continues to be one of the team’s best scorers in the early going this season. He has been a tremendous offseason acquisition, especially considering he was signed to a contract for the minimum. The Sixers put him in the starting lineup after the Harden trade, and at this point it will be difficult to take that spot away from him.

Harris quietly put together another efficient scoring night. A lot of his success came either on drives to the basket or in the mid-range. With Embiid off the court early in the fourth quarter, Harris made a handful of tough baskets from the post to help extend the team’s lead. Having both Harris and Oubre score at this level will be huge for the Sixers this season.

– For as bad of a first half as Embiid had, he was equally as dominant in the third quarter. He went on a heater coming out of halftime, scoring 15 points in the third frame. Much of his damage, including the monstrous and-one dunk seen below, came against Suns backup center Drew Eubanks.

AND 1 JAM. https://t.co/DWzVUL26bs pic.twitter.com/DmZvFZPvaU

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 4, 2023

The Suns had Eubanks start coming out of halftime while starter Jusuf Nurkic was getting checked for a concussion. Nurkic was on the receiving end of an accidental elbow to the face on a drive to the basket by Embiid in the first half. He did eventually return to the contest later on in the third quarter.

Embiid was not the only player to rebound in the second half. After struggling to get much going in the first half, Maxey turned on the jets in the latter portions of this game. He was back to his usual self, using his speed to penetrate into the paint for a couple easy buckets. The 3-pointers then followed, including a beautiful step-back from long distance over Durant. Maxey also had some strong moments as a facilitator, although it was clear at times his focus was too much on trying to run the offense. Playing as the lead guard for the first time, it is understandable to struggle finding a balance between looking to score and trying to run the offense. He will likely improve in this area as he gains more experience and comfort playing as a point guard.

– With the Suns missing two of their top three players, it allowed the Sixers to put more of their defensive focus on slowing down Durant. Their strategy against him included a healthy dose of double teams. Durant was able to get both of the Sixers’ starting forwards in early foul trouble. Despite that, the Sixers just kept throwing bodies at Durant. Pat Beverley delighted the crowd with a few tough defensive possessions against Durant, including one that forced an errant pass. The Sixers did a great job throwing a ton of different looks at Durant. While they were able to slow him down, Durant ultimately was able to still make a big impact on the game. It is nearly impossible to prevent a player of his caliber from producing, but making it difficult is a victory for the Sixers’ defense.

– Thus far this season, head coach Nick Nurse organized the Sixers’ rotations to have Embiid play the entirety of the first and third quarters. Maxey usually gets some rest in the final minutes of both of those quarters. The results have been clunky early on, including against the Suns. In the final 4:29 of the first quarter, the Sixers scored just four points while committing four turnovers. They had a lineup of Embiid, Beverley, De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington and Furkan Korkmaz on the floor during that stretch. That lineup is clearly lacking in perimeter creation, which plays a large role in its lack of production. The Sixers either need to adjust the rotations or play more around Embiid in the post with that kind of lineup on the floor.

– Jaden Springer continues to make a positive impact every time he sees the floor. He made multiple good defensive plays, including blocking an Eric Gordon layup attempt. He also consistently hustles and crashes the glass hard from multiple different angles. However, his offense has yet to make the transition to the NBA level. His lack of ball handling and outside shooting nearly stalled multiple drives in the second half. Springer provides a lot as a defender, but his offense needs to improve in order for him to see the floor more often.

– Paul Reed had by far his best game of the season. He was active on the glass, grabbing five rebounds in 15 minutes of action. He also made a few tough layups and was solid on the defensive end. His good game was sorely needed after struggling to produce over the first couple games of the season.